The day's news in pictures: February 18 2014

The day’s biggest stories from the UK and around the world in pictures

Photo of one of two sinkholes that have opened up in the past three weeks about 500 yards apart on farmland between Sittingbourne and Faversham in Kent. One sinkhole is about 9ft deep and the other about 10ft deep. Highways contractor Mr Parsons, 55, said: "One of them looks like a giant footprint.

Share

Get daily updates directly to your inbox

Thank you for subscribing!

Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email

Insurance chiefs were attending a flooding summit today with ministers who are demanding a “stepped-up national effort” to deal with the impact of the extreme weather.

Victims have so far received £14 million in emergency payments but senior representatives of leading firms will be asked to demonstrate what efforts they are making to get households back on their feet that are “as quick and as simple as possible”.

Also, two members of the Russian punk group Pussy Riot ran out of a police station in their trademark garish balaclavas after being released following several hours of questioning in Sochi, the host city of the Winter Olympics.

Thousands of angry anti-government protesters clashed with police in a new eruption of violence in Kiev.

French police announced they have detained a 48-year old man, a resident of eastern France, in connection with the deaths of a British-Iraqi man and three others nearly 18-months ago